The Namakwa Challenge Specialty Surfing Event Partners With NGO Protect the West Coast.

The Namakwa Challenge Specialty Surfing Event Partners With NGO Protect the West Coast.

One of the main sponsors of the Namakwa Challenge, Northern Cape Tourism, has initiated a push to increase tourism to the Namakwa area year-round.

The area’s economy, driven by mining and fishing in the past, is slowly decaying as mining operations move out and fishing drops off. Many of the mine operations have also damaged the coastal belts and left lasting scars on the land.

An increase in tourism will enable the area to stop relying on mining as the primary economic engine and push those mining operations still operating to work with environmentalists to rehabilitate and look after the landscape.

Invited surfer Joshe Faulkner © Van Gysen

Namakwaland is already a renowned tourism destination because of the annual spring flowers that attract visitors from around the globe. With this in mind, The Namakwa Challenge and sponsors Northern Cape Tourism and Billabong have teamed up with Protect the West Coast (PTWC)

“We are happy to collaborate with Northern Cape Tourism and the Namakwa Challenge,” said Mike Schlebach, PTWC MD.

Some regular West Coast surfers and others have expressed concern at a professional surfing tournament held at a secluded and lesser-known venue in an ecologically sensitive region. However, Schlebach and Kai Linder (Event Director) feel that the benefits of having the contest at the chosen location this year far outweigh these concerns.

“I think we have to see the upside and strike a balance,” said Schlebach. “This kind of event will help local communities from an economic and social upliftment perspective.” “We love the idea of adventure tourism and sport being used to realise the true potential of these areas rather than mining. This dovetails perfectly with the Protect The West Coast’s mission statement.”

From the Orange River to Cape Columbine, hundreds of kilometres of South Africa’s West Coast coastline are being mined or earmarked for mining.

These industrial-scale extractions have lasting consequences for local communities, fisheries, and the natural environment for generations to come.

South Africa’s West Coast is part of the Cape Floristic Region. Inside the Fynbos biome, the West Coast is home to thousands of unique plants, most of which are found nowhere else in the world. As a result, UNESCO deemed the Cape Floristic Region Protected Areas World Heritage Sites, including the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve and the Namaqua National Park.

Despite the creation of short term jobs, mining adversely affects ecosystems. As a result, it has a detrimental knock-on effect on the broader West Coast environment, economy and society.

Protect the West Coast seeks to inform on the dangers, raise funds to protect the coastline and look beyond the battle, and help build a future economy for the area through sustainable tourism. Sign their petition here.

The coastline has hundreds of coves and beaches, just waiting for the adventurous surfer to discover new waves. “This particular stretch of coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” said Monster Energy athlete and invited surfer Matt Bromley from Kommetjie. “The whole area is a very unique experience, with great waves and incredible nature.”

The Experience Northern Cape Namakwa Challenge pres. by Billabong Adventure Division is a World Surf League (WSL) Specialty Event, the first one in the Northern Cape.

For More visit: Experience Northern Cape

The WSL event site – Namakwa Challenge